KCAP has released images of their proposed HS Kwartier urban vision for The Hague in the Netherlands. As cities such as The Hague face the challenge of providing more inner-city housing, former industrial and port areas are increasingly being reimagined as attractive areas for living and working. KCAP’s HS Kwartier scheme, situated in the post-industrial Laakhavens region, seeks to “give an impulse to both the environment around Hollands Spoor station and the connections with the center of The Hague."

Under KCAP’s urban vision, the area around the Hollands Spoor station will be characterized by excellent accessibility and a mix of various functions. A mixed-use urban program of 245,000 square meters will include large amounts of housing, offices, education, student housing, hotels, culture, restaurants, and retail.

Part of the scheme is to be reserved for a substantial Central Innovation District program, which will house industries geared towards future-orientated economic development. In addition, the entire area will benefit from attention to public space, with attractive walking and cycling routes merged with innovative mobility concepts.

Around the Hollands Sopor station, five towers will strengthen the skyline of The Gauge, with the shifted position of the volumes creating a varied streetscape with lively ground floor areas. Staggered facades with balconies and terraces offer a feeling of transparency and ground the high-density scheme in a human scale. On the Laakhaven’s side of the station, a “city entrance” is created that connects both sides of the railway, featuring a lively, functionally-redesigned station square.

As an urban planner, KCAP is responsible for the urban vision HS Kwartier, commissioned by LIFE makes SENS. KCAP is also involved as an architect in the transformation of the monumental Stationspostgebouw. As the future headquarters of PostNL, this historically valuable building will play an important role in HS Kwartier.